Railway



(No Model.)

A. G. E. WESTMAGOTT 8& J. P. HUTCHINSON.

RAILWAY.

' Patnted Feb. 9, 1892.

nun

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER G. E. \VESTMACOTT AND JAMES PEMBERTON IlUTCl-IINSON, OFNEXVTOXVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,608, dated February9, 1892. Application filed April 7, 1891- Serial No. 388,009. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: marked A, Fig. 3, is constructed, as shownin Be it known that we, ALEXANDER G. E. said figure, integral with thestringer, which 'WESTMAOOTT, a subject ofthe Queen of Great is composedof two sides B B of double curva- Britain,andJAMEs PEMBERTON HUroHINsoN,tures, essentially as shown in cross-section,

a citizen of the United States, both residing at Fig. 3, until they meetat the base in a verti- Newtown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, have calplane passing longitudinally through or invented certain new and usefulImprovenear the center of the top surface of the rail. ments inRailways, of which the following is This particular form of the stringerportion a full, clear, and exact description, reference of the rail,embedded in the ballast between 10 being had to the accompanyingdrawings, the cradles or chairs O, hereinafter mentioned,

forming a part of this specification. operates to prevent a rolling orturning or dis Ourinvention relates tostreet-railways;and placement ofthe rail from a true horizontal it consists of a treading-surface andlongitudiposition, when, as frequently happens with nal stringer ofspecific conformation combined street-railways, heavy wagons pass overthe I 5 in one piece of metal, in the combination theretracks unevenly,bearing sometimes upon the with of a metallic cradle conforming to thetread and sometimes upon the flange of the curvatures of the stringer asa supporting derail, tending thereby to change its horizontal vice andas a joint-piece, and in the minor dealignment. The double curvature ofthe tails of the construction, all as hereinafter stringer also impartsgreat elasticity to the 20 more particularly set forth, the object ofour integral structure. These combined rails and invention being tosupply a rail especially stringersaresupported at theirjointsinchairsadapted to street-tramways, and in which the or cradles O, which areshaped internally to same may be laid, if desired, without the useconform to the double curves of the stringer of the usual cross-tie.portion of the rail and stringer combination,

25 In the drawings illustrating our invention, the said parts beingsecured together by tie- Figure 1 is a plan view of our improvedrailrods E E, which pass laterally through the way, showing two of therails and their comtwo sides, respectively, of the chair or cradle binedstringers supported in the cradles at the and stringer, and these rods,being made of joints thereof and the gage of the tramway sufficientlength, can be made to serve the 0 secured and regulated by thetie-rods. Fig. 2 purpose of tie-rods between the two parallel is a sideelevation thereof at joint, showing rails, as shown in Fig. 1, each endof said rod cradle. Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the uniting thesaid parts 13 and C together, as line a h of Fig. 2. described.Additional tie-rods F (see Fig. 1)

I11 the construction of street-tramways the are preferably supplied tosecure the proper 35 top surface of the rail is usually of the form gageof the tramway, and they are applied to shown in the upper part of Fig.3, above the the stringers B B about equidistant between line 0 d, whichrequires that the rail should the two ends of the rail, and thereforebebe supported upon and secured to longituditween each set of cradles orchairs 0. nal stringers, which in turn are fastened to The tie-rods Fmay be constructed similarly 4o cross-ties embedded deeplyinthesoil,with the to the tie-rods E E, which consist of the rod usualpaving as a superstructure. The chief E, the screw-threaded ends h, andthreaded objections to this mode of constructing streetnuts appliedthereto on each side of the chair trams are the destruction of thecross-ties and or cradle C. By means of these appliances stringers fromthe action of air and moisture and of slots and keys in the rods betweenthe 45 and the large expense of removing and relaytwo tracks it will beapparent that the gage ing the paving necessary both in the original ofthe railway may be readily adjusted and constructionandintherepairs.Ourinvention maintained. \Ve prefer to use in addition simplifies theconstruction of the roadway thereto separate means for adjustablyfastaud greatly improves the durability thereof. ening the chair orcradle to the stringers of.

50 The rail proper above the line 0 (Z and the rails at their joints,consisting of a screw- IOO bolt L, with threaded nuts on each sidethereof, as shown in Fig. 1.

In laying our improved railway the chairs or cradles 0 rest in ballastonly, and no sleeper or tie is necessary. In order, however, to securemore perfect and continued alignment, we prefer to rest the cradles orchairs 0 on blocks of metal or stone D, conforming to the external shapeof the said cradle 0, (see Fig. 3;) or the chair 0 may be given anexternal shape similar to and in lieu of separate blocks D.

Te desire it to be understood that we do not confine our invention to acombined rail and stringer in which the upper surface or tread of therail proper is of the specific conformation shown in the drawings, asthe latter may be varied and any well-known form of street-rail-treadadopted in place of that shown, the essence of this part of our inven--tionbeing the combination of such a rail with a stringer, consisting ofinwardly-inclined concavo-convex sides made integral therewith andmeeting at the base.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A combined street railway rail and stringer consisting of the railproper or tread A, with longitudinal sides B B, formed integraltherewith and of concavo-convex form, inclining" inwardly toward eachother and meeting at the base, substantially as described.

2. A combined street railway rail and stringer consisting of the railproper or tread A, with longitudinal sides B 13, formedintegraltherewith and of concave-convex form, inclined inwardly toward eachother and meeting at the base, in combination with a chair or cradle O,conforming on its interior to the external shape of the stringer,substantially as described.

8. A combined railway rail and stringer consisting of the rail properwith longitudinal sides formed integral therewith and inclined inwardlytoward each other and meeting at the base, in combination with a chairor cradle conforming on its interior to the external shape of thestringer, and with tie-rods E E passing through the same and connectingthe two sets of rail stringers and chairs forming the tramway,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures this 28thday of March, A. D. 1891.

ALEXANDER G. E. WESTMACOTT. JAMES PEMBERTON IIU'IOHINSON. \Vitnesses:

JOHN R. NOLAN, H. T. FENToN.

